one less car news

i have been having a lot of knee pain lately- riding a pedicab is pretty rough on your knees. having read all the things people have said about Glucosamine Hydrochloride, i decided i should give it a try. Glucosamine is expensive, so when my family asked what i want for christmas, i just said "glucosamine". well, i opened three different bottles- it was pretty funny! i think maybe i'm a little too into riding bikes!

anyone else out there on the information super highway have any experience with this? our web guy's surgeon says it works for about half the people that try it. it takes a few weeks to get into your system, so i'll report back with my own experience in about a month!
stay tuned...


ps this is what our web guy had to say

some additional knowledge from my surgeon- glucosamine/chondroiton works in about 50% of people- definitely worth a shot if you can afford it- so if you quit smoking, there you go! asshole... but, you probably won't notice much of a difference until you've been taking it daily for 3-4 weeks... so don't skip a dose

it has just come to our attention that there has been a problem with our email server, and it should be fixed by monday, dec. 22.
if you wrote us or placed an order and it got bounced back or didn't go through, our sincerest apologies.

we have set up a temporary gmail account to use until this gets straightened out.
that address is 1lesscarcs@gmail.com
the cs is for customer service, because without you, we wouldn't be here!

thanks for your patience, and we'll keep you posted!

also, everyone that placed an order by the 18th are in the mail and should arrive in time!

happy holidays!

one less car

i love a good snow storm... although the one that just passed us here in chicago wasn't as big as all the weather guys predicted (they never are)- it still left about 6 inches of heavy snow mixed with sleet... i was reading the bikeportland blog the other day, and they mentioned that you could use zip-ties like chains on the rear of you bike for traction in snow. now i'm not new to winter riding- i have a good amount of west-michigan winters under my belt. i'm not afraid of deep snow, but this idea seemed pretty solid.
so today i gave it a shot. i put a zip tie around my wheel and spaced them every other spoke. make sure the tie part is facing in, and you should clip off the extra piece of each tie, but i was cold so i left them on. as soon as i stepped on the pedals i could feel the difference- no slipping, just traction! it was a blast!!! i was flying through deep, loose snow- even through car tracks, and by not clipping the excess of the ties it sounded like it did when you were kid and put baseball cards in your wheels. anyway, it totally works and makes snow riding more fun than it already is! try it out next time it snows!!!

Lynn form transit is really cool. She hand makes all of her bags and even screen prints on them. She said the bag she sent has all the bells and whistles and I can tell.

The bag is very well put together. There are a few spots where the stitching is kind of ugly, but personally, I like that. I like the look of a hand made bag. The spots are small, and unless you are looking for it you would never notice. The bag has a lot of nice sized pockets- two on the outside, two on the front of the inside, and a large one on the back that fits my laptop very well. I'm not so sure that this is a pocket it came with- a really nice removable back pad in it. One of the most amazing things about the bag is the strap system. It's padded really well and has a ton of adjustments. This is really nice because you can make the bag ride on your back however you like. It took me awhile to get it just right, but once I did it was great.

In an email Lynn also said that if she's making a bag for a girl she will alter the straps to make it more comfy in the chest area. This is what I like about this company- she has a lot thought out. I believe the bag she sent is the biggest she makes and is comparable to the Chrome large. It's not too big but will carry a good amount of stuff. The bag is very water proof as well. I had it out on some pretty heavy rain the other day and everything was nice and dry. I have worn a lot of bags and nobody ever said anything to me about them, but people always comment on this bag. They're impressed with the silk screening on it and I agree- it looks super rad. If
you want a nice bag that fits well and like to find that cool little company out there then Transit is for you! Email Lynn and hook it up. see more reviews on our review page

cole

hi all-

just a reminder it's the last day for christmas orders. if you order by early tomorrow they will ship tomorrow night. anything after that i will ship before i leave on the 23rd. i sent out a ton today, so if you're waiting, it's probably on its way and you should see it in a day or two. thanx for all the orders and for sticking with us. www.1lesscar.com

happy holidays!!!

cole and the rest of the o.l.c. crew

just a reminder to everyone the 18th is the cut off day to get your order in time for christmas! if you order by then, i will get it in the mail for sure, so you should get it by christmas. most places are 3 day delivery by priority mail so it should be fine. of course we already passed the date for international orders, but if you order now they MIGHT make it. thanks to everyone who already ordered- i'll be working hard to make sure i don't spoil anyone's christmas morning!

thanks again and happy holidays!
cole and the rest of the one less car crew

www.1lesscar.com

as most of you know, in an effort to make a living riding my bike i ride a pedicab here in chicago. last sunday there was chicago bears football game and with orders being slow i needed to go make some cash. the only real problem was, is that it was only 19 degrees and the field is on the lake front. my plan was to test out every piece of warm clothing that i got to review. i had on more wool than a sheep! the ride down to the field was ok- my wool jacket combo was breathing like a champ- i even got warm enough to take off my baklava. once i got to the field it all came to a screeching halt. i had to sit still and wait for rides, and in doing so i froze. i ended up getting a decent amount of rides and it was well worth my time to go, but i learned about my limits. it was pretty much hell the last hour, riding back to the garage 3 miles in now 12 degree weather, not being able to feel my feet. there is another game thursday night...i'll be there.

p.s. look for the reviews of all the winter riding gear i tested out on sunday. i'll have it up in few days.

The second the box from Swobo arrived, I frantically opened it, took off my pants, and threw these puppies on. In fact, the only time I haven’t had these on is when I go to bed. I wake up, put them on, and start my day. When the day is over, I take them off and lay them neatly next to my bed, ready for the next day. Insert underwear changes when appropriate. Being wool, they tend to collect pet hair and the like, so having two cats I occasionally have to use one of those nifty tape roller thingies really quick and they’re back to new.

First off, color-wise, these rock- I love red stitching on dark colors, and with these, the red stitching is a great contrast to the dark gray (Swobo calls it “titanium”), heavy merino wool, which was woven in Germany! They do feature a super smooth bonded nylon on the inside, so they’re super comfy- no wool against your skin! As an added fashion bonus, the insides of the pockets (front and rear) are lined with a dope plaid print.

Since I’m talking about pockets, let’s talk about these pockets- the Bruno’s feature six pockets: two front, two rear, and one on each side of the leg. The leg pockets are great for riding- super easy access thanks to the zipper pulls! So I guess there’s no need to mention that the leg pockets zip close. The rear pockets feature flaps, but no closures, which would be kind of nice, but they do have a line of nylon lining going across the tops of the pockets to go that extra style mile.

The only complaints I have are that I wish they had a button closure instead of a snap- if you don’t tuck your shirt in, it’s a cold spot in the morning! Other than that, I also wish the zipper was about an inch longer, but these are minor complaints. Temperature wise, it’s been in the lower 30 degrees here in upper Michigan, and with a pair of wool socks and the right upper layers I’m good to go- no long underwear needed just yet!

By the way, these are limited, so get ‘em while they last! They also come with a lifetime guarantee- what other knickers/pants/shorts can say that? Mine are about a size too big, which isn’t a problem at all- I looked at another size from another company when I picked out a size. And even though I’m 33 years old, it still leaves me with a little room to grow! I don’t think I’m shedding these until spring…

lately i've been really into urban bikes, you know- upright position, racks, fenders, panniers, and baskets. my winter/city bike had a big milk crate on a cetma rack. the crate was black but i spray painted it for my et costume so it was starting to look like crap. i decided that i wanted to build a nice porter box. so, while i was at my parents house in michigan for thanksgiving, i made my first one. here are some pics. the dimensions are 19 inches wide x 12 inches deep x 7 inches tall. this one is made of oak with a birch bottom. i think it turned out great, and my dad and i are planning on making more of these with different woods and stain. if anyone is interested in getting one, email me cole@1lesscar.com and we can discuss it. let me know what you think. i'll post picks of it on my bike when is stops snowing out.

hello everybody!

thanks to everyone who helped make our sale a success! the winners of our contests will be announced within the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned for that.

we also have another sale going on- we've got 7 shirts that are on their way out the door to make room for some new stuff! so through the month of december, these 7 shirts are on sale for $12.99, or $10.99 with any regular shirt purchase!

and holiday shoppers- don't forget- to get your order on time, US orders must be in by the 15th, international by the 8th.

on another note, i went to the doctor today, and he was pretty stoked on the Swobo Bruno Knickers that we recently reviewed- come to find out, he rides his bike to work all winter long. i wonder how many other doctors in the midwest can say that!?!

thanks for sticking with us!
your friends at one less car

hello all,

today is black friday, so in honor of millions of people going out to spend their hard earned money, we thought it would be cool to stay at home and buy the easy way- online, so we're having a big sale! http://www.1lesscar.com/bf.html

we have decided to make the sale the whole weekend too, so if you're a fan of national buy nothing day, you can still participate in that and get in on the sale!!! all our shirts will be $12.99 the whole time- until sunday at midnight!!!

as an added bonus, we have collected an assortment of stuff to give away!!! if you spend $30.00 or more, you will be entered to win one of four prizes. we have a OLC painting done by my brother, a size large traitor shirt from our friends at traitor cycles, a copy of the b.i.k.e dvd, and a $25.00 gift certificate from us.

lets talk christmas- if you order after the sale- baring any crazy post office mess- you will get your order before christmas! if you hold off, all orders placed by dec. 18th will be there by christmas, and if you live outside the US, all orders placed by dec. 8th will be sent out in time for christmas. any questions you can email me cole@1lesscar.com

also, check out the reviews this weekend- we've got new reviews from swobo, planet bike, and more! http://www.1lesscar.com/reviews.html

thanx

cole

i got this in a email today, its kind off a bummer. having my own small business i know how hard of a decision this must have been. good luck guys



Hi All,

With the move to the larger space and then the drastic down turn in the economy we have been operating at a loss. The DG 2 went way into dept and we will forced to close.For this I am deeply saddened.The devil's gear bike shop on Chapel will countinueto be open
for now.The DG2 will be selling everything at 40% off.Also for sale will be two repair standand lots of shop tools, air compressor,display stands,stools,cash registor,lights etc.To do this is truely heart breaking .


Peace and Happy Holidays,

Matthew



Give Thanks for up to 40% off in-stock bikes!
Hello folks!
From now until January 1, 2009 save up to 40% off in-stock pre-2009 bikes at both Devil's Gear Bike Shop locations, including select bikes by Fuji, SE, GT, Felt and Pinarello. We're sure to have something you need!
The Devil's Gear has got you covered with great holiday gift ideas for all the riders on your list. Ask any of our expert staff for affordable, practical suggestions…
• Outfit your serious rider with a new pair of Bellwether knee warmers to get them though the rough of winter, as well as a broad selection of Craft and Descente cold weather clothing.
• Save up to 15% on all in-stock winter clothing. 25% on all in-stock summer clothing.
• Commuting to work? We've got waterproof panniers by Axiom to keep your cargo dry all winter long, or stock up on safe, stocking-stuffer friendly lights from Planet Bike.
• Keep your student happy with a sturdy messenger bag or laptop sleeve from Baileyworks in various colors.
• Your hip fixie rider needs a little sparkle- and we've got a candy colored assortment of Velocity wheelsets in many colors and bright, eye catching toe clips/straps by MKS and Soma in stock, ready for show-and-tell.
• For your child (or the child in you!) we have all the bells and whistles- including squeaky animal horns, bells and cute, patterned helmets for those little heads.
• Sure to please is a Gift Certificate in any denomination, good at our shop and the Devil's Gear II- Treat your special one to a tune up, or let them choose their favorites from our large selection of bikes and accessories.
Now's the time to get your bike serviced and road-ready for winter riding- bring it in for repairs and upgrades by our awesome mechanics and beat the nice-weather rush.
Get your bike tuned up now and receive a huge discount on parts- up to 25%!!
Visit us on the web at www.thedevilsgear.com for more specials and community events.
Be sure to visit us at our two New Haven Locations:
• Wooster Square location at 433 Chapel St. New Haven 203.773.9288
• Downtown at our new store, the Devil's Gear II 97 Audubon St. New Haven 203.772.4430
-Devil's Gear Bike Shop

ps please feel free to forward this email to ALL your bike loving friends.

--


--
the devil's gear the devil's gear II
BIKE SHOP BIKE SHOP
433 chapel st 71 audobon st
nhct 06511 nhct 06510
203 773 9288 203 772 4430
www.thedevilsgear.com

as you can all see we have updated our blog. thanx to our webguy brandon's hard work, i like what we have.
to the right are banner ads from a lot of our friends who have sent great stuff for us to review. plus, you will also notice the google ads...we need to pay some bills and to be honest they have some links to cool stuff.
you can now also follow our blog, and i'm going to start trying to update more often with stuff about bicycles, and not just me apologizing for taking too long to ship orders. to the left you will see our nav bar- use that to go and buy some of our gear!
thanx for looking at the site, and look for more improvements in the future!

i usually hate youtube videos but this is pretty great

I had a birthday a few days ago and my girlfriend gave me one of the best presents. She did some Internet research and found a thermos and water bottle cage that work together. You just push a button on the thermos- it flips open and you drink out of it like a cup. So now I can have hot chocolate when im freezing on my pedi-cab, or warm tea when I'm freezing from touring in the rain all day. And for all you coffee drinking commuters out there, its perfect!

update: i have had a few request for links to the thermos and water bottle cage,so here you go

http://www.topeak.com/products/Bottle-Cages/ModulaCage

http://www.thermos.com/Product_detail.aspx?CatCode=NISS&SubcategoryID=1&ViewAll=true&ProductID=494

Hello voters!

We have a few updates to let you know about. First off, we have 5 new reviews up this time! We reviewed some knickers from Swrve, a messenger bag from girl bike dog, our first full bike review of the Schwinn Madison, some lights from Monkey Electric, and some hand made panniers from Swift Industries. Check out all the reviews at http://www.1lesscar.com/reviews.html and buy some stuff from these guys.

Since shirt sales have been slowing down a little it's given us more time to find products to review. I have a small pile of bikes, shoes, bags, sleeping pads and lights to still test out, so look for them to be on the site in the near future.

On to other business we are getting dangerously low on socks- especially size large, so if you want some you better act soon!!! We won't have more until the spring.

Also, we still have a few long sleeve shirts and the sale is still going on!!! We were supposed to take it down last week, but I guess I'm feeling generous.

Last but not least, we have a few items that we are going to give away in a contest or something- we have an original painting by my brother, a shirt from Traitor Cycles, and the B.I.K.E. dvd. I'll email with details on how to win one of these!

I'm off to ride myself stupid on my pedicab at the Obaba victory party- should be fun! That's presuming he wins of course….ahh who am I kidding? Of course he's going to win!!!

Ride on!

Cole

people were going crazy, i had to stop and take pictures every few seconds...who knew

last night i went to see a documentary that a new friend of mine made called An alternative to slitting your wrist. the film was really good and you all should go see it, but the thing that got me was in it there was dude wearing a True Till Death shirt! no shit! it was amazing to see im so stoked about it.thanx owen for making a great film and making my month.


cole

for all of you who dont know about my brother, hes a great tattooist and helped me start 1lesscar. most of the early designs are his. he also is great at painting without brushes here is a link to his site where he has some stuff for sale he also donated a bicycle themed painting that we are going to do some kind of contest for. check out his stuff

cole

ive been really into yelp lately and look what i found im so stoked on this.

cole

i heard an old saying once that goes something like this: the sun shines on every dog's ass some days. well today, i'm that dog! i've been talking to TRAITOR CYCLES the last couple of weeks, and they sent me their super-duper limited edition (1 of 75!!!) PBR RINGLEADERS to test drive and review for One Less Car! the one they sent is the actual one from the photo shoot! they had to take it apart to ship, but kindly left the tires pumped- all i had to do was find a pair of pedals to slap on, which i did, and it's ready to ride! it looks pretty rad in the photo, but in person, my jaw still drops at times when i look at it! the UPS man didn't believe me that a bike was in the box because it was so light weight, and i was so stoked, so we cracked it open then and there! even the UPS man was stoked! he couldn't believe it, and i swear he started drooling when he saw all the PBR logos...i gotta admit- it makes me a tad thirsty seeing it too! so a super big thanks and shout out to KEVIN @ TRAITOR CYCLES for making it happen!!! i'm having a blast riding it, and will post a review in the next couple of months (kevin said take my time, so i can't argue with the boss!). needless to say, i'm way stoked and honored to receive this, so stay tuned!!!
brandon
one less car web guy, button maker, test rider, and jack of all trades...

Some Things You Just Gotta Learn the Hard Way: My First Attempt at a Bicycle Tour, Part 2

All rested after 4 days of eating my parents food and watching tooo much tv, it was time for me to head out on the second leg of my journey. I was suppossed to ride to the ferry across Lake Michigan and land in Milwakuee, then ride half way home, camp, and the next day ride into Chicago. I got up early and set out for the ferry. It was raining again- still the leftovers of Hurricane Ike, but I was armed with a really sweet new mountain hardwear jacket (thanx mom and dad!). I gave myself a good amount of time to get to the ferry, but on the way there I didn't have one of my panniers on right and hit big ass bump. It fell off and got a little twisted in my wheel- nothing major, it just took a few minutes to fix.
When I got the the ferry dock I saw the boat and rolled up to see where to go if you bought you tickets online. I was told I was too late! It was 10:03 and because of Homeland Security, they close the boat 15 minutes before departure. Needless to say I was pissed. Three more minutes and the boat was still sitting at the dock. They even commented that the second bike just showed up, so they knew I was coming. They charged me $10.00 to change my ticket to the next day and that was that. I rode home bummed in the rain. My super sweet jacket leaked at one of the seals. It was just a bad day.
I began to think I suck at touring. My girlfriend called and gave me a really good pick me up. She said I just got screwed by the weather and thinks I was doing ok considering the circumstances. It made me feel better.
The next day my phone rang at 6:00 am- it was the damn ferry people. The lake was too rough to go that day so I was stuck again. This did give me time to return the leaky jacket which is still there because they're trying to get another one in my size.
Finally, three days after I was supposed to leave I made it to the boat on time and good to go. As much as I wanted to hate that ferry it was really nice. I ate fruit and yogurt and watched the new Indiana Jones movie on the tv's they have. It was a smooth ride and pretty cool. I honestly recommend it. When the ferry docked it was beautiful. I rode in just my jersey, soaking up the sun. I ate lunch overlooking Lake Michigan and talked with a few nuns who were out for a walk. The route was mostly bike trails- some paved and some lime stone. The map I used was pretty crappy. I got lost more than I wanted to. I rode 60 miles and got to my camp site a little after dark, which kinda sucked.
The old mad who gave me my camp site talked about when he and some friends went on a bike tour. He said they would ride 60 miles a day and after they set up camp they would square dance for an hour. To his credit, they were biking to a square dancing event. I set up camp. I even started a small fire and cooked some veggie sausages...they were AWESOME! I took a hot shower, made some phone calls, and went to sleep.
I woke a few hours later because I heard someone moving one of my panniers. It was under my rainfly, just outside my tent. I unzip my tent to see a raccoon take off with a Ziploc bag that had a few Clif bars, some gel shot, electrolite tabs, recovery drink, motrin, and some muscle relaxers my mom gave me. I could here him running all over in the woods because of the the sound of the morin bottle. He taunted me for about a half hour. He tried to steal my whole pannier, but the rain fly stopped it. He unzipped the pocket on the top of my bag barely enough to get that bag out. He came back a few more times. I scared him off, and I even through my u-lock at him (hey it was 4:30 am and I was tired!).
I woke up the next day to sunshine and warm temps. I packed up and headed out. My legs hurt, but in good way. I rode for awhile and found a sandy beach to eat lunch on and basically discarded my map and just headed south. There were some big ass houses north of Chicago- I'm talking huge, stone, fancy ass ones. I got lost a few times in the small cities, but overall it was ok.
I had a little bout of culture shock when I got into Chicago. All the cars didn't give me the room I was used to. Usually cars moved over a whole lane for me and I almost forgot about how bad people in the city drive. It was only a 50 mile day and I made it home in the afternoon.
I rode a total trip distance of 270 miles. I thought it would be more, but over all I'm happy with my trip. I'm in love with my bike. It was awesome on the trip. And I love my panniers too. I'm going to get a set of front ones so I can balance the weight out more. Now I'm thinking about my next trip. Not sure where I'm going, but I'm hoping it won't be in the rain!

Cole

It all started months ago. I had gotten a good deal on a Surly Long Haul Trucker and always wanted to tour, but never thought I would be able to afford the bike and all the gear. After getting the bike I decided I was going to ride from Chicago to Muskegon, Michigan to surprise my parents. From there I was going to take a ferry across Lake Michigan to Milwaukee, and then ride back down to Chicago. I stared buying the things I decided I needed. I got a nice Jannd Expedition rear rack, a Tubus low rider front rack, and really great set of hand made panniers from Swift Industries. I thought about getting a new tent, but they're sooo super expensive, and the one I had I was kinda attached to. I gave it some TLC- I waterproofed the rain fly and sealed all the seems making it totally waterproof again. For weeks I planned and waited, and finally the day came.
It was Monday and time to go. I woke at 6:00 A.M. ( to tell the truth I barley slept because of the excitement). By 6:30 A.M. I was riding through the city, on my way out of town. Not even two miles into the trip and I had my first casualty. The magnet for the cadence on my computer fell off without me noticing...oh well. The morning was great! Riding along Lake Michigan with the sun rising over the lake, I was happy as could be. I was nervous about going through Hammond and Gary but it proved to be nothing to worry about. From there it was smooth sailing all the way to Michigan City. Once there, I was right at the lake again. The wind picked up and it started to rain. I was 60 miles in and knew I needed some more miles if I was going to make it to my parents in two days, so I put on my rain gear and headed south. Another 30 miles in the pouring rain. I needed to be done. Semi's were blowing by me, covering me with spray on top of the pouring rain. It was pretty crappy. I found a state park, pulled in, and started to set up my tent. I got it up pretty fast, but it got a little wet inside. No big deal- I got inside and to my horror it started to leak on me. I put my rain jacket over the leak and it kinda helped. The panniers were sweet and kept all my clothes dry, but because my tent was so wet, most everything got wet when I set it down. I took a long hot shower and ate a pb&j sandwich. I had planned on cooking veggie brats over the fire, but that wasn't going to happen in the monsoon that was going on outside. It was getting cold. Yeah, September... I thought I would be swimming in the lake, but instead I was shivering in my wet ass tent. I was a little worried
because it was going to get a lot colder and I didn't bring a sleeping pad. All my clothes were wet and my sleeping bag was damp. I got pretty bummed and just passed out. Got woke up an hour later by the ranger. He wasn't around when I got there, so I had to pay him $25.00 for my site! Give me a brake! I did ask him for some cardboard- an old hobo trick I learned from Derek. It makes a great sleeping pad and I really needed it. He said he'd see what he could do. I didn't expect much. I decided to not feel sorry for myself and went out in the rain to see if I could come up with a plan. I went into the bathroom and realized it was warm and dry. They had hand dryers, so I spent the next few hours trying to dry some of my clothes, and text people to keep my spirits up. Eventually I went back to my wet ass tent passed out. I woke up at six, packed up all my stuff, and got on the road.
It was cold- 48 degrees to be exact. 16 miles later I was in St. Jospeh trying to eat a bagel, but was feeling crappy and frozen. Called my dad and told him what I was doing and he said if I needed a ride him and my mom would come get me, but I had my pride and my friend Brandon telling me I could do it. 24 miles later, into a head wind with rain starting to fall, and all the extra weight from the rain soaked gear, I gave up. I called my mom and she came and got me. I realized I was still a long way from home and would've needed to camp another night, but all my shit was so soaked with no sun to dry it out. I was bummed to say the least. We drove my route home, and I still would have had 60 miles to go.
I'm now rested and armed with a brand new Mountain Hardware tent that's super duper water proof and really nice. I also picked up a few other things and I'm going to tackle part two of the trip Sunday. It's 90 miles from Milwakee to Chicago. I could do it in a day but that would take all the fun out of it! I'm going to do 40 miles Sunday and the rest Monday. I'll write part two when I get back. Wish me luck..seems I need it!

Cole

ps i have some pics but i didnt bring my card reader so ill post them when i get home

i guy got ahold of me who was getting married he wanted to barrow my pedicab to use in the wedding...how could i say no. here are a few pics he sent

i will give someone what ever they want as far as shirts,hats,stickers, what ever if they have a sprint pda phone that they want to part with. i have a moto q and i hate it, its going to give me a stroke because i hate so much. so if you happen to have something let me know and we can deal.

cole

you know what sucks? when you leave you really expensive bike shoes in the rental car that you just returned. and yeah i called them and they said they didnt find them...avis didnt try harder for me.

hey im selling my track bike, if anyone is interested here is the craigslist posting, get a hold of me and we can talk shipping.

http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/bik/783594597.html

so i did meet the bike at my parents in Michigan. i did a few rides of about 50 miles or so to see how i liked it. it was really nice but didn't end up riding back here to Chicago. i didn't have a rack and panniers on it so i would have to have gone with a backpack (riding with that on my back for two days would suck) or just go with nothing and i thought that would make for a pretty crappy ride. i ended up shipping it back here ups and it made it in one peace so that's good. im working on getting some racks and panniers to review and a lot of other touring stuff to help people out.

cole

i scored a surly lht from one of the guys on the bike tour i was working for. its being shipped to my parents house in Michigan where I'm going to meet it and ride it a lot,i cant wait to ride to the beach. I'm also think since Amtrak doesn't allow bikes on the train that I'm going to ride it back here to chicago,I'm pretty sure i can do it in two days. ill keep you posted.

cole

while on my trip i scored a surly long haul trucker for a great price, the reason i was doing the trip was to buy a touring bike so it all worked out great. i know there has to be some touring people out there and im wondering about what panniers and racks you guys would like to see reviewed. im going to try and get a few to test out on some trips, let me know what ones you like and what ones you think i should try out.

thanx

cole

im home from the tour. it was a long week but a ton of fun. i stooped updating because i was just to tired at night and get a internet signal in the small towns we were in was impossible. ill write a full story on the trip including my lame pics in a few days. right now im going through orders and getting ready to print. everything should go out midweek.

thanx

cole

day 3 is over it was from centralia to effingham, the ride was 83 miles and with heat index's around 100 degrees it was rough on the riders, we had to pick up 2 riders who just couldn't do it. the pics are kinda lame again but im stil working on it. once again im tired as hell but im in a hotel tonight the gym had no ac so few of us came here.

so cole is on the road with bicycle illinois, and they made it on the news! note: cole is the one sitting on the picnic table wiping his face (somewhere around the middle...)


check it out: (windows users: you might be better off right clicking and "save as", and mac users: ctrl-click, "save as...)

quicktime
or
windows media
-greeze

day two is now behind us. once again the pics are kinda lame, its that i just dont have time to stop and take pics because im racing to beat the riders to rest stop to make sure they have what they need. then when we get to to lodging it all unloading and restocking so ill try and do better tomorrow. as far as how long the stage was and what not i dont know because all my maps and info is in the car and waaaay to tired to go get it.

the pics are of the water cooler at my rest stop,all the bikes in the conference room that we are sleeping in ( i almost had to share my bed with one of the bikes) and of a camel i saw in town.... didnt see that coming.

cole

as you all may have read i got a job as support on a 500 mile bike ride across Illinois. im going to try and up date each day with a few pics. today pics are kinda crappy because it was a crazy day. todays stage was from cario il. to carbondale, it was around 72 miles or so. more tomorrow because its late and i need to get up at 5 am to make coffee.

cole

i got a job working with bicycle illinois. im going to be doing support for all the riders and stuff like that. im leaving on the 5th and will be back on the 12th...i think. im mailing out all orders that i have tomorrow and will print the orders i get on the trip when i get back,there should not be a noticeable delay for you guys.

im really excited about the trip! check out the map and if you live along the route come out and say hi. ill be bringing my computer and will hopefully be updating the site from the road, im hoping ill have pics to post but my camera is in rough shape right now. anyway thats whats up ill try and answer emails nightly and do my best to keep you guys in the loop.

i have a project i need help with. here is my idea. as most of you know i ride a pedicab,my pedicab has a headlight,tail lights,blinkers and brake lights. they all run off of a 12 volt battery under the seat. the problem is that i always end up with a dead battery if i dont charge it every other day...suddenly i came up with a great idea. what if i could charge my battery while riding my pedicab. i have seen the lights that rub on the tire and the faster you go the brighter the light gets but i dont think this would power all the lights i have. so anyone out there got any ideas?

here in Chicago people love there baseball, they love the cubs they love sox. so when they play each other its a damn mad house. lucky for me i need money and have a pedicab, its one of the biggest pedicab weekends of the year. ill start tomorrow working the game around 12 and ride till maybe 7 or 8 come home eat and then go out and do the bar crowed till 2 or 3 in the morning then get up and be back out for at 11 for the Saturday game and do it all over again...then there is the sunday game. ill let you know my mileage and how much i made. i need to pay for those new Adidas Adistar XC Ultra shoes i just bought,look for the review down the road.

cole


update:

the cubs swept the white sox in all three games. i try to stay pretty neutral on this weekend so i don't get beat up but i do like the cubs a little better but sox fans tip better.
now the pedicab highlights. Friday was good i gave some rides and cleaned up Friday night. Saturday was the big day, it was hot and busy. me and another guy ended up giving two couples a ride downtown which is about five miles away. we stoped so they could get a 12 pack and then took the path that runs along the lake shore all they way downtown.they loved it and gave us $100 each so that was cool. Sunday i was hurting and got a few $40.00 rides and one was a block from our garage,so i just gave up. yesterday was spent at my girlfriends house eating alot and sleeping all day.

three more games starting tonight. ill print in the morning and ride at night. like my brother always told me. "you gotta make hay when the sun is shining" and right now it bright out.

cole

if you seem someone riding and they have there helmet on backwards do you tell them? ive seen it alot more then you think and twice in the last day. help me out here i want to say something but im afraid it will make them feel dumb.


cole


part 2
!
i also really want to have a proper seat height day just sit in the park with a few tools and adjust peoples seats for them, it kills me to see them working so hard. ooh ooh and chain lube.

yup, after a long delay and few tough weeks i got something new and really great for you guys. my camera broke so i borrowed my roommates and took some quick pics and they look pretty bad, ill have some new ones up soon, the shirt color is carolina blue, its almost a light blue. anyway check it out http://www.1lesscar.com/shirts/gearhead.html

we also have a few new reviews up http://www.1lesscar.com/reviews.html with a few more to go (did i mention i got a schwinn madison to review? )

we also got a new shipment of yanco hats in but there going SUPER fast so order quick! http://www.1lesscar.com/patches.html

and last but not least i got my reorder of stickers, the "pedal your fat ass off"and the " that suv makes you look fat" are back for now but sell out super fast. http://www.1lesscar.com/patches.html

also im working on getting the gas shirt back up but i need to remake it the prices we used were just two years ago and we made them high to make a point now there a bargain.

now go ride your bikes,its summer!

cole

not to sound all like i know it all but im tired of hearing people bitch about gas and trying to make me feel bad because the giant suv they bought 3 years ago now cost half there pay check to fill. dont get me wrong,i know people do need to drive sometimes and i know that must be rough but please stop bitching and do something! take the bus,ride the train, car pool with your neighbors or god for bid walk or ride your bike. im just sick of hearing people cry and do nothing about it. so let the comments come in telling me im jerk but least im doing something about it.

well i did it! im pretty caught up,there are just few orders that i still working on but everything is sent. we also made few changes on the web site so check it out. thanx again for your support,and please feel free to order what you want.

cole

to all the 1lesscar supporters,

our internet connection got hijacked by some smart techie, and we are currently unable to respond to emails at the moment. this should be resolved within the next day or two- thanks for being understanding and patient!

i'm going to not be taking new orders for a week or two. i have to do this for few reasons. first, i'm falling behind and i feel bad about it. if you have been waiting for over 3 weeks for an order, no matter if it's just a few stickers, please email me- cole@1lesscar.com. i'll make sure you get what you ordered. im also putting a new order processing system in effect. the old way worked when i was getting 5 orders a week, but its way to slow now. hopefully this will help speed things up.

now for some fun stuff!
when we are back up and running i have two new shirts, most all the stickers back in stock, and some reviews of some cool stuff...(most noteable the schwinn madison that schwinn is letting me have for few months).

thanx to everyone for sticking with one less car- i'm working hard to make it work. (so am i- greeze, the web guy...plug plug!)

thanx again!

cole


UPDATE 6/2/08

we have our internet back, that was a whole good time. im shipping orders today and still have more to go,im really trying to get them all out. thanx for all the email from the people who say there in no hurry and that they understand its really cool of you guys. ill update again when im shipping again.


thanx

cole

to all my pedicab friends here is the video of phil...and phil if you see this,how the hell did you get that gig?

this is the brain child of author joe kurmaski, who's books are a really great read. anyway check out the video and go to the site.

i know i know but everyone has one and its fun to see all the people who are into our stuff, so here is ours myspace.com/onelesscar. i also post on there about sales and what not and goof off with people it kinda fun.

cole

after 4 rides to the post office with very very full bag and slight dooring incident. all the sale orders have shipped,everyone should start too see them next week. i also realized my current system is not going to work if we get a ton of orders like the sale, it was rough week thats for sure. if anyone has any problems email me and ill help you out.

thanx

cole

i dont even know what to say but thanx. we got a ton of orders, i dont know if it was just great timing or good promotion but it was amazing.i got orders from friends all over,people posted us on there blogs telling people to order.its so crazy that printing shirts in the back room of our apartment has gone so far.


the end stats are this 124 shirts i have to print,15 sets of patches,1 bar pad,3 hats and almost i the stickers i have. its going to be a long week for me but ill get them all done and sent out to all you guys.

once again i thank all of you,you have no idea how good this made me feel.


cole

i ran into the deal of a life time today. a garage full of screen printing equipment that would really help us along in this little endeavor we have going here.the equipment i have is getting it done but im getting to where i have no time to ride or goof off,and thats why i started this whole thing. so i have a week or so to raise a lot of cash before the deal passes me by.




here is my plan. first the baseball season starts on monday so i will be out at wrigley field with the pedicab riding as much as i can. now the second part, the part that will help you guys and me...we are having a " we need new equipment sale" all shirts will be $15.00 and there will be free stickers with each order.




if you ever wanted a shirt or having been waiting for the right time its now! every order will be greatly appreciated. please tell everyone you know. ill keep everyone up to date on how close i am to reaching my goal.




SALE STARTS MONDAY!

thanx a bunch

i got this in a email from the crew at peace coffee. we did a review of the coffee awhile back,check out the video its cool to see.

cole

i went to our p.o. box today and in it was the mash dvd. it was sent by erwin at streethobbies.com check out his site,hes got some sweet stuff and really good deals. now im waiting for derek to get home from work so we can watch this dvd and make our spring fever even worse...ill let you know what we think.

ps getting caught up on orders you should see them sometime next week.

cole

my grandpa died this morning while i was here in michigan visting my parents. im going to be here for a bit longer then i planned. if your waiting for an order please give me a few extra days.

thanx

cole

updated: sorry all. my other grandpa died two days after the first. its been a weekend of funerals for me. im heading home wed. ill get right to work and you should see your stuff next week.

ps thanx for all the nice comments.

thanx

cole

i got this email the other day, i love getting cool email like this makes me feel like people really dig what were doing.

cole


A friend and I headed out for some fixed-gear shenanigans yesterday.
She and I were wearing your hat in a lot of them.
Let me know if you want any of them full-res or anything. I'm a pro
photog, so most of these are print-quality.
http://www.duderonomy.com
Thanks for what ya do, Cole!
See ya l8r sk8r,
-michael

well my computer lasted what about a month. its broke again im not even really that mad...im just now used to it.

dennis and katy from the fixed gear gallery have started a new biz powder coating frames called powdercoat $100 bucks for a frame and fork...thats a good deal,plus dennis really knows his shit so you know it will be done right. if you got a frame and want a new look check it out.

cole

jared who is yeti bags sent me this bag to review. i have received alot of bags now but this one has blown my mind,the craftsmanship is amazing its perfect. i cant wait to test it out for the next few weeks. check out jared's stuff on his blog, (the recycled bags looks really cool.)

for real. its my winter bike, here is the story. its a brown Schwinn varsity, i bought it for $30.00 bucks out of some dudes yard (yeah yeah i know $30.00 is a lot for a Schwinn but i felt like the guy really needed the cash) i turned it into the scariest fixed gear ever! it was super sketchy,im talking 27 inch wheels,53 18 gearing,suicide hub and platform pedals. last year i decide that i would spend a few bucks and make it safe. i bought a bottom bracket conversion kit so i could use a regular bottom bracket and put the wheels off my iro on it because i sold the iro. i used some old mtb cranks and bottom bracket and the chain line was really really far off...but it worked.once i hit a bump while in traffic and because my chain was loose and my chain line was so far off my chain came off and wrapped around the spokes stopping the wheel dead! i survived it but feel i used one of my nine lives. next its the one i hit the lady on,and the other day the rear tire split going around a corner and i almost went face first into the pavement. so i locked to the parking meter out front and let it get covered with salt and snow to show it who's boss. today i decide that i wanted to have fenders again and my good bike is getting covered in crap. i bought a new $15 tire and went to put it on. the tube that was in there had a hole near the stem so i used a back up tube,i put it in, pumped it up to 80psi and was making sure it was seated right...all close to it and... BAM! the tube blew so loud, its been three hours and my ears are still ringing! im pretty sure the people who live downstairs think one of us are dead because it sound just like a gun shot. i gave up,its sitting in the corner silently taunting me. i used to call it The Noodle because it was so soft under you but now im thinking of calling it Christine.

please tell me other people have cursed bikes and im not just crazy.

thanx to all you guys this month was the biggest month we ever had. we 969,740 hits! i really cant believe its gotten this big...im going to have to hire an employee...hmmm me as a boss...thats not right.


thank you

cole

man i went to print today and all my ink was froze. i print in the back room of our apartment and there is no heat, usually my dryer warms it up nice but not today it was like 11 out...bummer.

my winter bike also has a flat and i dont want to even change it so im riding my good bike in this crap. i want summer pretty BAD.

the hoodies are selling great thanx to everyone who bought one you should see them next week.

the battle continues. after my computer was gone for three weeks again i called best buy and they said it was in (never bothered to call me or anything) i went picked it up and came home all happy. when i turned it on it said there was a memory card in the memory card slot...weird both mine are here and there was nothing in the drive,when i opened the drive there were pics of some kid and all his friends alot of music and some video. i got a flash lite and looked in the drive sure enough there was a memory card broke off down in my drive! some ass hole at the store or repair center used my computer and didnt bother to tell anyone he broke off his memory card in it. i was already kinda pissed then my computer shut down and never came back on which is what took it in for in the first place. i went back and yelled they just said they would fix it again and i would see it in two weeks...so now i will be without my computer for a total of almost 2 months and ive only had it for 8. i called best buy told them i want a replacement they said acer need to give me a replacement,acer said best buy need to give me a replacement! i spent 3 hours on the phone with them and got no where. i know when it come back its not going to be fixed right again. so if you are thinking of buying a computer from best buy think twice there support is crap also if you are thinking of buying a acer DON'T.

so my business is pretty messed up, i'm running it using my cell phone and borrowing my roommates computer. i'm doing ok but if your wondering about your order please email me and ill make sure u get it.


fighting the good fight

cole



UPDATE:1/15/08

i emailed best buy telling them my story. this what i got in return...good to see they are consistent on there crap customer service.

Cole,

I am Joselito with Best Buy Customer Care.

At Best Buy, we understand the importance of good service, as well as how frustrating poor service can be. I apologize that your experience with Best Buy has been unpleasant.

Please do not hesitate to contact us for any questions or concerns. We look forward to your next visit to one of our stores or to www.BestBuy.com.

Sincerely,
Joselito
Best Buy Customer Care Team


UPDATE:1/18/08

this will be the last update because im pretty tired of it and you came here to see stuff about bikes.

a employee of best buy emailed me,he read about my story and is a avid cyclist. he said he could try and help. within a day he got back to me said they contacted the service manger and let him know what was going on and would update me a soon as he got back to them. they also are going to give me a $75.00 gift card to make up for some of it. now i know its not a new computer but i feel good knowing that someone has taken the time to address the problem. also feel if there is another problem that they will take it more serious.

thanx to clayton for all the help,and thanx to all you guys who posted about this.

cole